Steel railroad tie



Feb. 18, 1930; .o. PETERSON STEEL RAILROAD TIE Filed Aug. 12, 1929 INVEN TOR. BY 0. Pare/(sew ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 18, 1930 Y UNE'EED stars ATENT STEEL RAILROAD TIE Application filed August 12, 1929. Serial No. 385,226.

This invention relates to railroad'ties and more particularly to a steel railroadtie fabricated of sheet steel in an exceedingly simple manner. g i The object of this invention is to provide a railroad tie of the above mentioned type that is easy to manufacture at a minimum cost, durable, easy to install and replace, eflicient and secure.

Another object of this invention is the provision of means for securely and rigidly attaching the rails to the tie, said securing means not being affectedby vibration and jar inherent in rails as trains pass over them.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of an adjustable means whereby the rails may be spaced apart at various distances depending upon the gauge desired.

Other objects of this invention will become 20 apparent as the description thereof proceeds,

reference being now had to the accompanying drawing wherein 2+ Figure 1, is an elevational view partly in c section of the railroad tie with the rails at-.

tached thereto, the sect-ion being taken on line 1-1, Figure 2.

Figure2, is a partial plan view of one'end portion of the tie and attached rail, and

Figure 3, is a detail View of one of the securing lugs attached to a turnbuckle bar.

The tie 1 is formed in the shape of an open rectangular box of a length substantially equal to that of the ordinary wood ties in use, and is fabricated from sheet steel of any desired and convenient thickness. The tie 1' comprises integral side and bottom members, 2, 2 and 3, respectively, bent in the form of a right angled U, the side walls 2 and 2 having centrally disposed rectangular cut-away portions 4 and 4, for a purpose to be hereinafter described. Rigidly attached to the side walls 2 and 2 are U-shaped end pieces 5, the legs 6 and 7 of which engage theinner surfaces of the side walls 2 and 2 and which are secured thereto by rivets 8.

Positioned in each end portion of the tie 1 is a bridge member 9, said bridge member 9 being adapted to be positioned at any point in the tie 1, between the end pieces 5 and the edges 10 of the cut-away portions 4. The

bridge members 9 are identical in form and comprise tops 11, and legs 12, the legs 12 engaging the inner surfaces of the sides 2' and 2, and rigidly secured thereto by means of rivets 13. Formed on the edge adjacent the end pieces 5 of the top 11 of each bridge memher 9, is a pair of stops 14, constituting an integral part of each bridge member, said stops being adapted to fit over the bases of the rails 15 which are seated on said bridge members, in order to position the same prior to being locked in place, as clearly shown in Figure 1.

. Positioned between the rails 15, and within the tie 1 is a turnbuckle 16, said turnbuckle comprising two rod members 17 and 17. Each rod member has formed thereon an intermediate threaded portion 19 and an end threaded portion 20, one end threaded portion 20 of the rod member 17 being formed with a left-handed thread, the remaining threaded portions on said rod members being right-handed threads. The opposite end'of each rod member is provided with a tapered portion 18 (Figure 3), adapted to fit within a similarly tapered hole 21 in the vertical leg 22 of a lug 23; said lug being securely retained on said rod member by heading over as at 24: the tapered end exten-' sion of said rod member as clearly shown in Figure 3, or if desired, rod 17 and vertical leg 22 may be formed ofintegral construction. Similar lugs 25, areadapted to be positioned on the intermediate threaded portions 19 of the rodmembers 17 and 17', and are further adapted to freely slide thereon. "Both of the lugs 23 and 25 are of similar shape and comprise vertical legs and angularly disposed upwardly extending legs, said angular legs being adapted to rest on the base of each of the rails 15 as clearly shown in Figure 1. r

The rods 17 and 17 are placed beneath the bridge members 9, so that the lugs 23 engage a portion of the base of each of the rails 15; The threaded end portions 20 and 20 of each of the rod members 17 and 17 are connected together by means of a conventional turnbuckle nut 26, which is set up on each of the rod members so that the lug members'23 will securely clamp the base portions of the rails 15 to the bridge members 9. To clamp the other portions of the bases of the rails 15 to the bridge members 9, the lugs are moved over to engage said base portions and are securelylocked by means of the nuts 27 and jamb nuts 28, which threadedly engage the intermediate threaded portions 19 of the rod members 17 and 17.

While a preferred embodiment of theinvention has been shown, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of various changes within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is V 1. 'A metallic trough shaped tie comprising integral side and bottom portions, and separate U-shaped end pieces riveted to said side portions, each of said side portions having oppositely and centrally disposed rectangular cut-away portions, a pair of bridge members positioned in said tie and spaced equally from the ends thereof and adapted to have a rail seated on each of said members, means to rigidly securesaid bridge members to said tie, and means to rigidly clamp said rails in position.

2. The structure specified in claim 1, said bridge members each comprising a horizontal top and vertical legs, said top being flush with the upper edges of said side members, and said legs being adapted to engage the inner surfaces of said side members, a pair of integral stops formed on the edge of each bridge member opposite said end pieces to limit the outward transverse movement of said rails when seated onsaid bridge member.

3; The structure specified in claim 1, said clamping means comprising two rod members v each having an intermediate threaded por-. tionand an end threaded portion, one of said end threaded portions being a lefthanded thread, a lug. rigidly secured to the other end ofeach of said rod members, a lug slidably mounted on the intermediate threaded portion of each rod member, a nut anda jamb nut threadedly engaged on each of saidintermediate threaded portions of said rod members and positioned inwardly of said last mentioned lug, and a turnbuckle nut threadedly engaging the end threaded portions of said rod members. 7

4;. A metallic trough shaped tie comprising integral side and bottom portions, and separate U-shaped end pieces riveted to :said side portions, each of said side portions having oppositely and centrally disposed rectangumembers and positioned inwardly of said last mentioned lug, a turnbuckle nut threadedly engaging the end threaded portions of sa d rod members, said rod members being positioned beneath the top of said bridge members and centrally between the legs thereof, and said lugs being adapted to engage the base portions of the rails and to securely clamp said rails to said bridge members.

In testimony whereof I a'fiix my signature.

OSCAR PETERSON.

V lar cut-away portions, a pair of bridge members positioned in said tie and spaced equally from the ends thereof andadapted to have a rail seated on eachof said members, means to rigidly secure said bridge membersv to said tie, means to rigidly clamp said rails in position, said clamping means comprising two rod members each having an intermediate 

